Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by krustster:

Pours a thick black with a preposterously huge, sticky, super-persistent dark brown head. When I say a huge head, I mean I poured this into a giant snifter and the head almost reached the top (when usually there's a few inches of space even on the foamiest brews). After a minute it faded to a manageable level that looks incredibly creamy and thick. The lacing is so thick and heavy that it actually seems to be drying in place on the glass like paint. People always describe imperial stouts as being "like used motor oil" but this may very well be the most apt example of that term that I've seen. No light shines through, even at the very edges, and it slops around like a glass of wood varnish. Incredible density and viscosity.

Smell is actually a little odd and not as exciting as the look. I get a large serving of fresh, almost vegetal coffee, with a bit of "roast" and not a whole lot else. It's kind of odd that there's such a coffee smell; as far as I know this doesn't actually have any coffee in it. Maybe a trace of alcohol in the nose but it's almost all coffee to me.

Taste: uuaauuhh god man. Weirdly, this beer tastes more like how it looks than how it smells, if that makes sense. There's a touch of coffee in the taste, but the appearance, to me, hinted at a sweeter and more roasted flavor. That's what comes through here. It's not quite as sweet as Mystery Stout but there's a huge sweetness almost like molasses. Following that is a blast of roasted malt tapes, massive dark chocolate, really almost milk chocolate considering how low the bitterness is, and that hard-to-quantify "flaked oat" taste backing it up. The finish is lengthy and thick with coffee. It's easy to see why this is considered a classic of the style. The variety of flavors is standard, but each one stands out and they almost come in stages: first molasses, then malt, then chocolate, then black coffee. Maybe I haven't been paying enough attention over the years, but this is the first beer where I've actually noticed a distinct progression of flavors, one after the other. The finish goes on for ages. Even as I'm writing this sentence, it's been minutes since my last sip and I'm still noticing new elements as it fades. Amazing!

Mouth feel: oily, syrupy, coats your mouth and throat almost like pepto-bismol (though the taste is far different). Incredibly viscous. It actually leaves a feeling in my mouth and throat like--and I know this is going to sound gross but I mean it in a positive way--drinking whole milk and/or having a bad cold. It just leaves that thick, borderline disturbing mucus-y feeling in the back of your throat. Maybe I'm out of line, but I love it in the right context. And of course, the right context is drinking a massive, oily beer. Finally, there's just a hint of alcohol burn that seals the deal perfectly. It never overstays its welcome, but you also never forget that you're blasting a 10.5% imperial stout. It's a beer to be respected.

Overall, the number of reviews and overall score for this beer should tell you all you need to know. It took me a long time to get around to it, mainly because it's not available where I live (I ordered it online in accordance with a free shipping deal) but now that I have it, I feel like one of the missing puzzle pieces in my life has fallen into place. This is an absolute benchmark of the style. The flavors and textures are so powerful, so in-your-face, yet so expertly layered... it's near perfect. If a bourbon barreled version of this exists... its power... I don't even want to think about it.

More User Reviews:

A: Pardon my language, but HOLY SHIT this beer is DARK. There's no color, no light shining through during the iPhone flashlight test, and absolutely no highlights either. What. The. Hell. This brew is scary! A moderately vigorous pour results in a monstrous light brown head that's dense and creamy and takes ages to deflate. Leaves tons of lacing in its wake.

S: Delectably rich semi-sweet chocolate syrup and roasted malts up front create a boisterous and powerful aroma. A little bit of roasted coffee and Earthy hops come through as well. One of the most delightful aromas I've experienced.

T: This is unbelievable... These flavors are off the charts. HUGE waves of rich, decadent chocolate. Those Earthy hops creep in that add just enough bitterness to offset the chocolatey sweetness. The middle offers a few molasses-like notes, but primarily consist of the initial chocolate hop medley. It's all beginning to feel a little too sweet, but then... the finish offers a wonderful deviation from the candied bliss and transitions to an absolutely phenomenal freshly-ground roasted coffee. Bliss. Pure Bliss.

M: The body is full, and it might actually be more accurate to describe it as huge. The closest thing to a flaw I can find here is that it's not as creamy and rich as I had hoped and the carbonation is just a hair above my comfort level in a RIS, but even still, I can't drop it below "outstanding." Oskar Blues just knows what they're doing.

O: I'm having a hard time processing my thoughts into words right now... I've always held Stone's offering of this style in the highest regard, but I think it has been replaced. I don't know what the folks down at Oskar Blues are doing, but they're doing it right. Every aspect of this brew is so powerful and each flavor is so intense that it borders unbearable, but then it transitions into something new and it just all adds up to a divine experience. I'm simply in awe right now, and slightly sad that I've taken the last sip whilst typing my conclusion... If you haven't had this yet, stop what you're doing right now and buy it.

Pours a motor oil consistency, ink black, dark as Satan's heartless soulless pit, liquid that's crowned with a thick, rich-looking coffee-colored head--hold the cream and sugar. Aroma is surprisingly soft with some fresh grain, hint of smoke and estery, dark ripe fruits taunting in the back. Creamy mouthfeel, full-bodied, viscous, with a rich malty base. Tangy molasses, molten chocolate cake, major roastiness going on with more smoke, char, double espresso and burnt raisins. Overripe black cherries. Bitter, but not puckering, more of an overall acridness that engulfs the palate. Hop presence is leafy, herbal, earthy, with a hint of lemon--barely detectable in the black chaos. Alcohol is well hidden, but sneaks into your brain eventually with a warming fuzz. Finish is exactly like you just had a double chocolate chip cookie in your mouth.

A - Pours midnight black with a wonderful thick brown foamy head.S - Aroma is of roasted coffee and chocolate.T - I taste bitter or burnt chocolate. M - Not as chewy as I expected, more medium body.O - This is an outstanding Imperial Stout, can't think of one better.

Enjoyed out of a 12 oz can from which I forgot to get any dating information before recycling it. That said, I know for a fact this can is from last year (2013), so it's just about a year old at this point. Poured into a large 33 oz snifter glass.

Appearance (4.25) - It's hard to think of any way to describe the look of this beer other than motor oil with about a finger of ecru-colored chocolate mousse resting on top. It's the kind of brown that's so dark that there is no point in even trying to distinguish between the shad and true black. It matches the black on the can. The head is about a finger thick and slowly fades away to leave a film across the surface of the film and flecks of lacing here and there on the sides of the glass.

Smell (4.0) - Initial aromas are all varieties of roasted and toasted malts. Dark notes of burnt toast and char along with some more subtle elements of baker's chocolate and even hints of what reminds me of coffee grounds, but the variety that has been ground awhile ago, leaving them without the distinct coffee bean pungency.

Taste (4.25) - The promises of the smell are all delivered with interest--rich notes of semisweet chocolate and notes of bitter char and roasted grain are again front and present. There are also more earthy profiles of damp soil and soggy tree bark, even a bit of dried tobacco, albeit fleeting. It's relatively sweet, but not the cloying, toothache inducing kind of sweet.

Mouthfeel (4.25) - Full bodied and viscous, with a weight just like it's motor oil appearance. Moderate carbonation to counteract it from becoming sludgy. Semisweet and lingering finish on the tongue.

Overall (4.25), a fantastic beer and easily the best big, bold russian imperial stout in a can that I've had. This would be a great nightcap to have around the fire after a day of camping and drinking more heat-friendly canned beers in the sun. As the night comes over and the air starts to chill, whip out your can of Ten FIDY, pour it into your metal mess kit cup and sip away by the light of the fire.

Pours oily black and clearly viscous with an ample two finger brown head. Smells slightly sweet with dark cherry, dark chocolate, brown sugar and roast malt. Tastes really nice, blended nicely between the cherry and sugar and some hop bitterness and malt tang. Mouth feel is viscous but has just enough carbonation to offset that thickness. Overall, this is a really wonderful imperial stout....best I've had in a while.

Poured from a 12oz. can (a can!) into a tulip glass. This is not a dark beer... this is BLACK. Midnight black. Outer-space black. Satanically black. It actually seems to pull in the light from around it... holding it up to a light, nothing penetrates. This inkiness is topped by a thick two-finger chocolate-colored head that fell slowly to a cap that left a cobweb of sticky lacing on the glass.

Aromas of coffee and toast are very apparent, a subtle earthiness, as well as tangy hop notes, vanilla, and alcohol.

The flavor of this is impossibly complex... the expected espresso, chocolate, and toasted bread notes are immediately perceived, with a touch of molasses fighting for attention in the background as a titanic wave of pungent hop bitterness sweeps in, somehow managing to harmonize with the lingering, almost ash-y roasted malt notes and warming alcohol. Even with the strapping 98 IBU bitterness rating, it all seems just right given everything else that's going on here. Subtle? No, but wonderful just the same.

The mouth-feel is rich and full-bodied, but with a surprising amount of carbonation lending it a tingle that keeps it from being syrup-y. It's not something you're going to quaff with abandon, but at 10.5 ABV that would be a foolhardy proposition in any case.

This is a true classic among Imperial Stouts, a masterpiece... powerful, uncompromising, demanding, this is the Death Metal of beers, and much like that musical genre not for everyone's taste, but very rewarding for those willing to explore its dark depths.

Oily anthracite with no highlights whatsoever (not even with blindingly bright sunlight behind the glass). The fudge milkshake-colored crown looks more dense than a fudge milkshake and looks fantastic as it slooowly melts. A serrated band of thick lace is just beginning to appear. No hesitation here. This is a picture-perfect RIS.

The snifter is undoubtedly helping, but the aroma is both powerful and pungent. I'm sure that massive amounts of chocolate and roasted malt are the reason why. Rich chocolate fudge actually describes the nose pretty well. Roasted coffee bean and spruce-like hops are noted as well. Given the stated 98 IBUs, the hoppiness isn't a bit surprising.

Although it's still a little cool, the flavor doesn't have the intensity that was expected after the eyeball and nose tests. It's good, it just isn't extraspecialsuperduperamazinglyfantastic good. I spoke a few minutes too soon. A few more degrees make all the difference in what is now a muffled explosion of flavor that oozes into every nook and cranny of my tongue.

Bittersweet chocolate leads the way. A stout with this much malt (let's call it gargantuan) needs a considerable amount of hops (let's call it withering) to maintain some degree of balance and to stay on the drinkable side of cloying. Mission accomplished. This isn't the hoppiest RIS that I've ever had, but it's in the top-5.

Other than Hershey kisses, the flavor profile contains the same roasted coffee beans and pine sap that was noted in the nose. Let's throw in anise, blackstrap molasses and several pounds of white grapefruit zest as well. For hopheads who like massive stouts almost as much as DIPAs (like me) this stuff is manna from heaven.

Like appearance, mouthfeel is a no-brainer. The first ounce told me all I needed to know. It's huger than huge, smoother than smooth and plusher than plush. How in the world did the brewers manage to pack so much malt into such a small can? There are just enough bubbles floating around to keep the beer from feeling flat. Again... perfection.

Now, a word about the beer's name. My first thought was that Ten FIDY was a slang way of saying 'ten fifty', whatever that's supposed to mean. The fact that FIDY is capitalized made me dig deeper. I now believe that it's a recognized acronym meaning (F)*** the (I)ndusty, (D)o it (Y)ourself. Tell me I'm wrong, Oskar Blues. Thanks to SkinnyElvis for the best toss-in ever.

I used to think that Oscar Blues brewed the best canned beer in the universe... until Surly Furious, Bender and CynicAle came along. Ten FIDY, however, can stand toe-to-toe with some of the best RISs out there. Since Surly Darkness will most likely never see the inside of a can, this brew seems destined to be the finest canned Russian Imperial stout the planet Earth has ever known.

Unbelievably today was the first time I have had this offering.Poured into a way over chilled pint glass at Sticks and Stones a jet black with a minimal mocha colored head that was gone quickly.Aromas of dark fruit,vanilla,and dark roast mainly stood out in the nose,a bit of char also showed thru as the beer warmed up to the right temp.Sweetish and rich up front with vanilla,and dark fruit standing out,the chocolate flavors are more bitter along with a hefty roast in the finish.Its thick and chewey and glides down easy,it is a big brash IRS,one to savor.

Appearance - This is very dark in color, solid black if that's possible, with a beautiful, super-dark head that is (I really know there is no such thing as this) a light black color. The head showed great retention and just looked like a puffy goose-down pillow.

Smell - This is my favorite type of RIP profile. The roasted malts are there but very faint. The big aroma is that stiff brown sugar on toast with butter washed down with a cool cup of cocoa.

Taste - The wonderful sweetness from the nose comes over at the taste with a perfect step up from the roasted malts. There is a very mild and pleasant burnt flavor that does a terrific job of lightly cutting the big sugars. The finish is all roasty malt just the way I like it.

Mouthfeel - This is bigger than medium-bodied but I wouldn't call it full. The bitterness is not shy but doesn't overpower. There's a light tinge of alcohol in the middle with a tick up in the bitter department at the end. There's some decent carbonation in here as well which I usually don't find much of in the style but here it seems right at home.

Drinkability - One of the best-drinking 10% RIPs that I've ever had, and from a can yet.

Many thanks to xmarcnolanx for trading this to me. It's surprisingly fun to watch a jet black and oily beer with a mega huge brown head pour from a can. Truly. Ten Fiddy's appearance is nearly unbeatable. Carbonation is relatively light but the head remains an inch or more thick for several minutes before coming to rest at about a 1/4 inch. Aroma is deeply roasted with faint cherry and vanilla notes. Caramel malt is also present in the aroma but coffee and chocolate are both mysteriously absent. The flavor changes things up a bit as that intense roasted malt character leans towards coffee. I emphasize leans because coffee character in this beer is subtle at best. Chocolate too is minimal if present at all in the taste. Again , however, cherry is quite pronounced with some vanilla as well. Creamy is an understatement as to mouthfeel. As stated, carbonation level is low, and the bubbles that are around just seem to roll of the tongue. Nice bitterness in the finish. Extremely smooth, creamy, and luscious. Not as depthful as I would like and lacking a couple of those key RIS atributes, but...this is still a wonderful beer. It's so easy to drink, looks and feels great, and taste pretty decent. If this becomes available around here I could see picking up a 4-pack with some regularity.

Tried this last night for the first time! It has a smooth oily pour, with a dark head.a malty, coffee smell, not too overwhelming.It's finish is glorious with tastes of slight sweetness.While sipping the flavors became even more robust and delicious.I really enjoyed this beer and was bummed I only bought one can. Will definitely buy again!

I saw the rating for this beer, I found it at my local beer shop, and had to buy it. I poured it into a tall glass to see it in all of its glory.

First lets go with the things I respect with this beer. This brew is inky black and the lacing on it is beautiful. It has a high 10.5% ABV also. That's where I have to stop. I respect what they are trying to do with this beer but I just can't appreciate it. Unfortunately I still have taste buds.

The negatives:Smells like an IPA with roasted characteristicsTastes like an IPA with dark characteristics (cocoa and some malt)HIGH amount of hops and bitters. I just googled its IBU rating and its a 95!!! Holy crap, that's higher than some of the most bitter IPAs I've ever had.$15 for a 4 pack.It lingers in your mouth for minutes afterwards. You can literally taste it in your mouth 5 minutes after your last sip. To quote the movie Pineapple Express: "F'ing lingerer man, lingerer".

I just can't appreciate bitter beers. I just don't like to consume bitter things. I had high hopes for this but I'm let down. Its one of those "America, F ya!!" sort of beers. Where they just put as much hops as possible just because its the American thing to do.

If I want a dark chocolate beer I'll just stick with my girly Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate stout. :) I had no idea that this beer was going to be this bitter (95 IBU!!), I would have never paid 15 dollars for a 4 pack if I had known. I need to grown a thick beard and ride a unicycle before I can enjoy this level of manliness. I don't know how someone can pretend to enjoy this. I can't imagine what sort of food they call "good food". Meh, to each their own I guess.

The pour is extremely viscous, thick, and blacker than a black hole. Let's put it this way - if your motor oil looks like this, then you should have changed your oil months ago. A creamy, tan-leather head caps the beer as it just sits, still and menacing. Swirling the snifter around allows the head to grow even more as the beer makes a slow and deep sloshing noise as it lapses over itself.

The nose is as powerful as the appearance; deeply roasted, almost burnt malts and grains; thick, bittersweet chocolate; creamy, dark fudge. Sweetness is heavily present from the malts, and some cocoa beans, burnt coffee/espresso, and slight char reside in the background. An ever-so-slight hop presence can be detected as well, even more so as the beer warms up; ashy, leafy, herbal. I like RIS's to have a deep, bitter offset, and if the nose is any indication - Ten FIDY will fulfill that desire.

Upon taking the first sip, I'm pretty blown away. The body hits my palate as creamy and chewy as they come. I feel like I should be cutting this beer into pieces with a knife, I can't tell if I'm drinking it or eating it. The intense roasted malts hit your tongue right away and come hand-in-hand with a gentle gradient that runs a slow course on your palate from a mellow sweetness to a sharp, yet delicate bitterness. The malts appear as a rich, dark chocolate, creamy, bitter espresso beans, and even a deep, dark fruit sweetness in the form of bruised figs and raisins.

Once the sweetness has taken its turn, the bitterness starts to make its crescendo on your palate - some more of that sharp fruitiness comes back in a subtle, yet effective way, along with a new set of flavors that start to take over. Ashy, leafy, and herbal hops, woodiness, slight nuttiness, and smokey, charred bitter hints sift through the static and leave a lasting impression long into the aftertaste. I haven't taken a sip in 5 minutes and I can still taste Ten FIDY. The 10.5% ABV is nothing to scoff at, and it provides a robust feel and a solidifying warmth all around. Carbonation is fairly low, but strong enough to bring out the best flavors - it works incredibly well, here.

Ten FIDY is simply outstanding. One of the first Russian Imperial Stouts that I truly fell in love with. It's quite a shame that I can't get this regularly in my region, or you can bet my fridge would be stocked with it all the time. If you're a fan of big-ass, robust RISs, do yourself a solid and seek this bad boy out - you won't be disappointed. Plus - it comes in a can. How fucking cool is that?

A pitch black beer that looks really freaky as it pours from the can. A small brown head settles into a ring of lacings.

The aroma is quite powerful with notes of roasted malts, piny hops, chocolate, molasses, coffee and a hint of alcohol. Dangerously close to being a mess, but it keeps it together.

The smell is quite sweet at first with lots of chocolate and roasted malts, coffee and molasses. Hints of soy sauce. Then it turns fairly bitter with notes of bitter roasted aromas and piny hops. Strangely enough, although it feels powerful it feels like it lacks something in the middle. The finish is fairly warming with notes of sweet alcohol, roasted malts and hops.

Medium to full body, quite lively carbonation actually, but the mouthfeel i smooth.

This is quite a massive stout and it's constantly on the edge of collapsing into a sweet and bitter mess, but for the most part I think it manages to deliver. I had this at room temperature and I think I would have liked to have had it served a few degrees cooler.

Had this on tap and in the can at the Distillery in Sav. GA. Both were equally great.

Ten Fidy pours jet black with a coca colored head. Aroma is full of Roast, Coca, and Dark Fruit, Flavor washes your senses with roast, coffee, rasins and prunes. The alcohol is present as it is in all my favorite imperial stouts, but it is not obtrusive, subtle actually when you consider that it is 10% ABV. Superbly drinkable this beer could get you into trouble if you are not paying attention.

Comparing this beer to others in the style I have to put it at the top, de-throning others such as Avery's Czar, Bell's Expedition, and Old Rasputin. Even the perennial #2 beer can take some lessons away from Ten Fidy.

I don't want to rate this beer perfect, but I can't mark it down in any of the categories in good conscience. At $8 for 12 ounces that is a bit steep, but I'll gladly pay for a couple of snifters full to revisit this gem every winter.